get back at (someone)

idiom

informal
: to do something bad or unpleasant to (someone who has treated one badly or unfairly)
After he lost his job, he vowed that he would find a way to get back at his old boss.

Examples of get back at (someone) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
During an interview with the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Belz argued that Herbst ran for office to get back at the commission bosses who fired him. Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2024 Tykwer doesn’t bring anything close to the subtlety and shading that Kieslowski would have, in the story of a vigilante teacher (Blanchett) who tries to get back at drug dealers who have infiltrated her school by blowing them up with a bomb, which ends up killing the wrong people. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024 The assistant district attorney alleged that Conley killed Yoder for one of two reasons: to get back at Adam for their tumultuous relationship or to create a traumatic event in Adam's life that would ultimately bring them back together. Samantha Stutsman, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2024 Perez’s lawyer, Shawn Halbert, told jurors in opening statements that Rocha’s testimony is his latest act in an ongoing attempt to get back at Perez over their feud. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for get back at (someone) 

Dictionary Entries Near get back at (someone)

Cite this Entry

“Get back at (someone).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%20back%20at%20%28someone%29. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!